Memorial Address
by Dandicca2011
Summary: She wanted to find out what really happened 10 years ago, but she got so much more. Rated T for now, but will most likely change. PAIRING: Shinji/FemMC I am currently obsessed with them! 7/28/2012 Chapter 4 is being edited! I will post it up ASAP!
1. Far From Home REBOOT

**I made MORE changes! YAY changes! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I last updated this story! I recently started college so I've been pretty busy. I apologize. But now I am back and I will be focusing on this! I promise!**

***EDIT** What exactly does "Reboot" mean? Well, since It's been so long since I updated this I had enough time to think and I didn't like the way it was going so far. So I read over it, deleted useless information, fixed grammar and spelling errors, and changed some names **

**0 0 0**

The Iwatodai Dorm. That was the name of the dorm mentioned in her admission pamphlet. She was not looking forward to transferring to a new school. It felt as if she had just gotten use to her old one and now she had to move again. But she had no time to complain. She had questions that needed to be answered and she knew Port Island would be the right place to go.

Ten years ago. It was ten years ago that her parents had been killed in an accident on Port Island. The authorities listed the deaths as an accident, but Hamuko knew better. She knew something was not right and she intended to find out what.

The only other family member that Hamuko had left was an older brother. Mitsuo. He was all she had left. She loved him, and she intended to keep him safe. Even if that meant leaving him behind while she went in search for answers. He begged her not to go. He told her that it was too dangerous and that she didn't know what she was getting herself into. She didn't care. Too many people were keeping too many secrets from her. And she would not rest until she had the answers. So she left Mitsuo, making him promise that he would stay home and not follow her, and began her journey.

A few months ago she had gotten a letter in the mail. The letter was sent by a man named Shuji Ikutsuki.

Ikutsuki?

Why did that name sound so familiar to her? In the letter Ikutsuki said that he was an old friend of her parents. In the letter he mentioned Gekkoukan High. "Gekkoukan High would be a perfect place for a smart girl such as yourself". That's what Ikutsuki said in the message. Hamuko knew that accepting the request would give her an excuse to go back to the place where her parents and sister were killed so she accepted the request. And now here she is. On a train bound for Iwatodai Station. One step closer to her destination. And one step closer to her answer.

"Our next stop, Iwatodai!" A loud voice echoed over the train's intercom. Hamuko could even hear it over the loud music that was blasting in her ears. She never went anywhere without her music player. Music was her way of escaping from the pain that the real world had left in her heart. Listening to her favorite music could always make her feel a little better. Even when she feels like dying.

The train rolled to a stop. She had finally made it to Iwatodai Station. Her only problem now was that she had to find her way to the Iwatodai Dorm. The pamphlet had a map, but Hamuko wasn't very good with directions. When the train doors opened all the passengers that were left on the train rushed to get off. Hamuko managed to sneak a quick glimpse at her phone. 11:59 p.m. It was late and Hamuko was tired. She just wanted to get to the dorm and go to sleep. Then the clock struck midnight.

All the light in the station suddenly cut off. The song coming from Hamuko's headphones was silenced. Everything was quiet. Hamuko could hear nothing nor see no one. She looked to her left and screamed. The man that had just been standing next to her was gone. All that remained was a bloody coffin.

"What's going on?" Hamuko quietly asked to herself. Obviously not expecting any answers. "Never mind. Just hurry up and get to the dorm!"

Hamuko made sure she had everything she brought with her before she took off. There was an eerie feeling in the air and she didn't feel like wasting any time trying to figure out what was going on. She would just get to the dorm, go to bed, and everything would be better tomorrow. She hoped.

She began running in a random direction. She had no idea how to get to the dorm, but it was better than just standing still, surrounded by coffins. Her blind running led her to an alley way. She saw a few coffins surrounded by countless beer cans.

It was dark. Everywhere she looked was complete blackness. She was getting scared. Really scared.

"What are you doing here?" A voice called out in the darkness.

Hamuko turned around and saw a tall figure standing in the dark. She could barely see his face in the darkness. All she could make out was bushy hair, a long coat, and an angry expression.

"It isn't safe for you to be out by yourself this late at night" the young man said. "Why are you out here?"

"I-I just got here. Everything was fine when I got off the train," Hamuko. "I'm trying to hurry and get to my assigned dorm, but I can't find it."

Hamuko held out her pamphlet. The guy didn't take it from her hand. He just read it over and then turned to walk off.

"You're a long way from Iwatodai dorm, Miss. You should be heading in the other direction" he said.

"Wait!" Hamuko yelled. The young man stopped and turned his head slightly. "Th-that doesn't help. I'll never find my way by myself."

"Are you saying that you want me to walk you to the dorm?" The young man asked.

Hamuko nodded.

"That would be nice" she said sweetly.

"Tch, Miss, I'm the opposite of nice" he said.

The way he said that sent shivers down Hamuko's spine. He was bad? How bad?

"O-oh, um….I'm sorry to bother you. I'll find it" Hamuko turned to leave.

"Have you heard anything strange while you were here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Hamuko asked.

"Voices. Things like that" he said.

"Oh, no I haven't. Why?" she asked.

"You should be fine ask long as you haven't heard anything. Get going, before it gets too late."

Hamuko nodded and turned to leave. She allowed herself one quick glance back at the young man. He was staring down for some reason. He didn't seem as scary as he did when she first saw him. She was curious about him, but she couldn't do anything except turn around and slowly walked away.

She kept walking for what seemed like an eternity.

"Ugh! I've seen this building before!" she shouted to herself. She was never going to make it to the dorm, she realized. She was going to remain lost until she slowly starved to death.

Finally she came across some steps. She was excited to see something new. She ran up the steps hoping she would be able to see the dorm once she reach the top. Instead she found a shrine. She started to swear, but stopped herself. This was not the place for that. She dropped on her knees in front of the shrine and held her hands together in front of her face.

"Please, please, please let me find my way to the dorm. Please!" Hamuko prayed.

"What are you doing, you moron?" A familiar voice came from behind Hamuko.

She turned around to see the same young man from before staring at her with the same expression. The lighting here was a little better than in the alley. She could see that he had brown, shoulder length hair. The top of his head was covered in a beanie.

"What are you doing here?" Hamuko asked.

"You were walking in the wrong direction. You're going to end up getting yourself killed" he said.

"The wrong way?" Hamuko asked.

"Yeah, now get up on your feet. I'll lead you to the dorm" He said.

"Oh, yay!" Hamuko cheered.

"Please don't do that, k?" he said.

Hamuko smiled and nodded. She was happy. She was going to make it to the dorm after all. She wasn't going to let his rudeness bring her down.

"Let me see that pamphlet" he demanded.

Hamuko reached into her bag and pulled out the pamphlet. He took it and began reading.

"There's a map on here telling you how to get to the dorm," he pointed. "How can you not find it?"

Hamuko felt her face heat up. She didn't want to explain to him that reading a map was like trying to read a book that's written in another language for her.

"I-I uh…." Hamuko blushed. "I kind of suck at following maps."

The young man sighed. He sounded aggravated. That only made Hamuko blush more.

"Just follow close behind me. If you and I get separated, I ain't gonna look for you. You got that?" he sounded serious.

Hamuko nodded and followed closely behind him as he walked off.

**0 0 0**

Their walk was quiet. Every now and then, Hamuko would see the boy look back at her. Probably to see if she was still back there. Finally, Hamuko decided to break the silence.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

The young man turned his face slightly.

"Huh?" was all he said.

"I-I said 'thank you'. You know, for leading me to the dorm," Hamuko said.

The young man stopped walking and turned around.

"We're almost to the dorm, just one more block" he looked as if he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself. He turned back around and continued walking. Hamuko sighed then followed the young man.

"Hamuko," she said.

"Huh?" he replied.

"That's my name. Hamuko Arisato," she smiled up and the young man.

"That's nice," was all he said.

"This is where you say your name," she replied.

"Tch, whatever."

Hamuko was trying so hard to start up a nice conversation with this guy, but it just wasn't working.

"Okayyy. Well, thanks again, Mr. _Whatever_. You're really kind," Hamuko looked up at his face. She saw a flash of something. Red? Did he just blush? No, he couldn't have. She was just seeing things.

"Well, here we are," he said.

Hamuko looked up. The dorm was huge. How many people lived here?

"I'm sure you'll like it here. As long as you like following strict rules," he said.

"Do you know anything about the people who live here?" Hamuko asked.

"Nah, not much," he said. "This is where you go inside and make new friends and I leave. See ya," he started to walk off.

"Wait!" Hamuko called out. Making him stop and turn around.

"You never told me your name," Hamuko continued.

"I'm not going to," he smiled slightly. "You'll just have to wait."

With that, he turned and walked away. Hamuko didn't take her eyes off of him until he disappeared into the darkness. Then she opened the door and walked in.

The dorm was quiet and dark. She couldn't see any person or coffin in the building.

"You're late," a voice said from behind the counter.

Hamuko gasped and saw that it was a young boy.

"I've been waiting a long time," he said.

"Who are you? Do you live here?" she asked.

The little boy didn't reply. He just snapped his fingers and made a booklet appear in front of him.

"If you wish to proceed, then you must sign the contract" he said.

Hamuko didn't move. She just stared at the piece of paper.

"Don't worry. It just says that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions." The little boy held out a pen.

Hamuko took the pen and quickly signed her name.

"Very well," he said. "No one can escape death. It delivers us all equally to the same end," the boy said.

Before Hamuko's eyes, the boy started to disappear.

"And so it begins," the boy said before completely disappearing.

Hamuko stared at the place where the young boy had just been standing. There was no trace of him at all. Was he really there. Maybe she was just tired.

"Who's there?"

A female voice interrupted Hamuko's thoughts. She looked towards the stairs and saw a young girl about her age standing in the shadows.

"How can you be…? Don't tell me…"

The girl was obviously nervous. Suddenly she pulled out a gun.

"Takeba, wait!" another female voice called out.

Behind the first girl, another girl appeared. She had long red hair and appeared to be very mature.

Suddenly the light came back on. The music on Hamuko's music player started up right where it left off.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late" the red headed girl said. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I live here in this dorm."

"Who's she?" the first girl asked.

"She's a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign her here. She'll soon be sent to a room in the normal dorm" Mitsuru said.

"Is it ok for her to be here?" the first girl said.

"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru said. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a Junior this year just like you."

"Hey," Yukari said.

"….Hey, it's nice to meet you" Hamuko said. She was obviously concerned about staying in a dorm with two gun carriers. In the town she use to live in, no one carried guns. There was no need to. It was peaceful. This was going to be difficult.

"Sorry about the gun thing" Mitsuru said. "It's for protection purposes. You can never be too careful nowadays."

"…Oh…it's ok." Hamuko said.

"You're probably tired, Hamuko. Your room is on the third floor. Your things should already be there."

"Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me" Yukari said cheerfully.

Hamuko followed behind Yukari up two flights of stairs and down a hall.

"Here we are? Pretty easy to remember. Since it's right at the end of the hall" Yukari said.

"Thanks" Hamuko said.

"Can I ask you something?" Yukari asked.

"Sure" Hamuko replied.

"On the way back from the station was everything ok?" Yukari asked.

"Yes, everything was fine." Hamuko wanted to tell Yukari about the coffins and darkness, but she would just leave that for another day.

"Oh, I see." Yukari replied. "Well, good night. I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's just save them for another time. Night."

With that, Yukari left. Hamuko knew she was not going to get any answers tonight so she just opened the door to her room. Just as Mitsuru said, all of her things were there. She saw her stuffed pillow pet already laying on the bed. She laughed when she thought of whomever put it there. They probably thought she was still a child. She quickly changed into her pajamas and jumped into bed and cuddled the stuffed panda pillow pet.

What a day it had been. Earlier that day, she had been in Kyoto. Her home. She missed it already. Now here she was in Iwatodai and she had already had a gun pulled on her. This was going to be a long school year.

But, despite all that, Hamuko couldn't help but smile. She already had a goal for this school year.

Find out the name of the mystery boy.


	2. A New School REBOOT

**Hope you enjoy! :3**

**0 0 0**

Hamuko opened her eyes to a normal morning. Her room was quiet. The only sound she could hear were the birds chirping. She sat up in bed. Today was going to be the first day at her new school. She was nervous, but at the same time, she was excited. She loved meeting new people and making friends. She looked at the clock next to her bed. She had an hour to get ready. It didn't take her long to get ready in the morning. She didn't wear much make up and her hair was pretty easy to fix. She was finished getting ready in thirty minutes and was waiting on her bed. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.

"It's Yukari! Are you awake?"

Hamuko ran to the door and opened it. She was greeted by an extremely cheerful Yukari.

"Good morning! Did you sleep ok?" Yukari asked.

"Like a baby!" Hamuko replied.

"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school," Yukari said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am" Hamuko said.

"Ok! Then let's go," Yukari turned around and walked out of the room. Hamuko grabbed her bag from beside her bed and followed close behind.

**0 0 0**

Yukari and Hamuko walked up to the school gate.

"Here we are! Gekkoukan High! I hope you like it" Yukari said cheerfully.

"Wow! It looks really nice. It's ten times bigger than my old school" Hamuko replied.

"Yeah, it's a really good school! I love it! Come on, let's go inside" Yukari said.

Hamuko followed Yukari through the school gate and into the front door.

"You'll need to go talk to your home room teacher first. The faculty office is right down that hall" Yukari pointed.

"Oh, thanks" Minako said.

"Do you have any questions?" Yukari asked.

"No, I'm good" Hamuko said.

"Hey, don't tell any one about what you saw last night. Ok?" Yukari said.

"I understand" Hamuko replied.

Hamuko gave Yukari one final wave and then walked down the hall. She found the door that said Faculty Office. She walked in and saw one teacher reading through some files. The teacher looked up and smiled.

"Hello, are you the new student?" she asked sweetly.

Hamuko nodded.

"Let's see" she opened up the file and started scanning through it. "Hamuko Arisato. 11th grade correct? In 1999, that was what, 10 years ago? Your parents…"

The teacher looked up with apologetic eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't have enough time to read this before hand" the teacher said.

Hamuko gave a reassuring nod and the teacher closed the file.

"I'm Ms. Toriumi, I teach composition," Ms. Toriumi politely said.

"I'm please to meet you" Hamuko smiled.

"Aren't you polite. We could use more young girls like you around here," Ms. Toriumi smiled.

"Did you see the floor chart? You're in 2-F, that's my class. It's almost time for homeroom, but first, we need to head to the auditorium. The welcoming ceremony will begin shortly. You can follow me."

Hamuko did as Ms. Toriumi said and followed her to the ceremony. Hamuko quickly looked around for an empty seat. She saw Yukari waving her over. She quickly walked over and sat in the empty seat next to her.

"So, what do you think?" Yukari asked.

Hamuko laughed.

"The day just started; I can't decide if I like it yet. But I do have to admit, the building is really nice, and it's big! I hope I don't get lost!" Hamuko replied.

"Don't worry. Just stick with me! You'll be fine!"

The head master's speech was long and boring. Behind her, Hamuko could hear people whispering.

"Hey, did you hear we got a new student?" a male student asked the boy sitting next to him.

"Yup! I've seen her too. She came to school with Yukari!" the other guy smirked.

Hamuko rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. She hadn't even been in this school for an hour and she was already being talked about.

**0 0 0**

After School.

Hamuko stood up from her seat and collecting all of her things. This school day had been okay. Yukari had made sure to introduce her to all of her school friends and even made sure that she wasn't sitting alone at lunch. If Yukari hadn't have been there, Hamuko would probably still be roaming the halls, lost.

"Sup, dude!" a voiced called behind her.

The comment sounded like it was directed at her, but surely no one could be referring to her as a 'dude'.

Hamuko turned around and saw a cheerful guy looking her up and down.

"Haha! You look like a deer caught in headlights!" he said obviously noticing Hamuko's stunned expression.

"Who are you, _dude?_" Hamuko asked.

"Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya," he offered out his hand and Hamuko shyly took it. "I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know what it's like being the new kid, so I wanted to say 'Hey'! See what a nice guy I am?"

"At it again, huh?" a familiar voiced came from behind Hamuko. She turned around to see Yukari rolling her eyes. "Is there any girl you wouldn't hit on? Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"Wha-? But, I was just being friendly" Junpei said. "I promise I didn't come over here just to hit on you. No matter how cute you are!"

Junpei smiled and Yukari rolled her eyes.

"What? C'mon, look at her. Your parents must have been really good looking to have a daughter that looks like you" Junpei smiled.

Hamuko let out a small, humorless laugh and looked down at the ground. Her parents had been gone for a long time, but it still stung when someone mentioned them.

"You're right," Hamuko said. "My parents are great. I'm going to go ahead and head back to the dorm. I'll see you later, Yukari."

Yukari nodded and Hamuko walked off. When Hamuko was out of the room, Junpei spoke.

"Damn, did I say something?" Junpei asked.

Yukari gave Junpei a swift punch to the shoulder.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Junpei cried.

"You're such an idiot sometimes!" Yukari noticed she was yelling and other students were staring at them. Yukari lowered her voice so that only Junpei could hear. "Her parents are dead."

"Are you shittin' me? Dammit, I gotta go find her and apologize." Junpei ran off before Yukari could even stop him.

**0 0 0 **

Hamuko sat on a bench outside of the school. She had told Yukari that she was going straight to the dorm, but she just didn't feel like it. Music was blaring from her headphones. It was so loud that she couldn't hear the footsteps that were closing in on her. The sudden appearance of a shadow caused her to look for the source. She looked up and saw that it was Junpei. She smiled and took one of her headphones out of her ear.

"Um, hi" he said shyly.

"Hey, Junpei" Hamuko smiled. "Is there something you need?"

Junpei scratched his head.

"I- uh, I wanted to apologize," he said. "I wasn't aware of your situation. I'm sorry. I should have brought up your pa-"

Junpei stopped himself. Hamuko looked up and smiled. She patted the seat next to her and Junpei sat down.

"It's okay," Hamuko said softly. "Use to, when someone mentioned my parents, I would run off and cry, but not anymore. I don't want to be that person again. I want to be able to have normal conversation without people worrying about upsetting me. It's always like that. All I get from people is pity. Promise me you won't be like that. Don't censor what you say just because my parents are gone. I want to be treated like everyone else, k?"

Junpei laughed.

"Got it!" He cheered.

"Thanks!" Hamuko said happily.

"So, are you heading home?" Junpei asked.

"I'm about to," she replied.

"Cool, wanna walk together?" he asked.

Hamuko nodded.

"Great!" Junpei said.

They both stood up. With Junpei leading the way, Hamuko happily followed her new friend.


	3. The Velvet Room? REBOOT

Hamuko and Junpei reached the dorm just as the sun went down. On their way they had stopped and got a bite to eat. Hamuko didn't know what kind of restaurants this place provided, so she let Junpei choose. He suggested a place called "Wuck's" and Hamuko had to admit, it was a lot better than she thought it would be.

"Thanks for dinner," Hamuko said.

"No prob! We should do this again some time," Junpei said.

Hamuko nodded in agreement and headed towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Junpei" Hamuko waved.

Junpei waved back and turned to leave. When Hamuko walked inside, she was greeted by Mitsuru.

"Welcome back," the redhead said as she looked up from her book.

Mitsuru was seated on the couch in the lounge. Hamuko saw the Yukari was in the dining room sitting at the table.

"How was your first day?" Mitsuru asked, still not putting her book down.

"Oh, it was ok," Hamuko said. Mitsuru chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll adapt quickly. Anyways, you must be tired. You should go to bed early," Mitsuru said.

Hamuko nodded, but before she went to her room, she walked into the dining room to get something to drink.

"Hey, Hamuko!" Yukari cheered, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just getting some tea," Hamuko answered, "What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing, just sitting here. You had such a long day today, you should go to bed early" Yukari said.

Hamuko suddenly grew nervous. Yukari and Mitsuru both wanted her to go straight to bed. What were they planning?

'_Hamuko, you're being so paranoid!'_ she thought to herself, _'They're just worried about you. They want you to get a good night sleep.'_

Hamuko nodded and took her glass up to her room. She put it on her desk and sat on her bed. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed her brother's number. The phone rang twice, then Hamuko heard her brother's voice on the other end.

"I was waiting for you to call!" Her brother shouted over the phone, "What took you?"

Hamuko breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a familiar voice.

"Sorry," Hamuko said, "Today's been a crazy day."

"Did you make any friends?" Mitsuo asked.

"I met a few nice people. I don't know if I would consider them friends or not," Hamuko replied.

"I'm not worried about you," her brother said, "You've always been really good at making friends and fitting in."

"I miss you so much already," Hamuko said. Her eyes were starting to tear up.

"When can I come visit you?" Mitsuo asked.

Hamuko was silent. She fought the tears, but they overcame her.

"You can't" Hamuko replied.

Her brother let out a sigh. He was obviously frustrated.

"I can't believe I'm letting my baby sister boss me around like this," he said.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuo" Hamuko sighed, "but I want to keep you safe. You're all I've got."

"What makes you think you're going to find out anything?" he asked.

"I don't know. I probably won't, but I've got to do something," Hamuko said.

"Just be careful please," Mitsuo pleaded, "I'll come visit you one day. I promise."

Hamuko started to object, but was stopped by Mitsuo.

"You can complain all you want to," he said angrily. "You're my sister, and I don't know if you realized this yet or not, but you're all I have left too."

She didn't know what to say. He was right and she knew it. Hamuko agreed to let him come visit later in the year. Maybe things weren't going to be as bad as she thought they were going to be.

Hamuko finished up her conversation with her brother and hung up her phone. She sat back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She was overreacting, she knew. Port Island was completely normal. She went to a normal school, lived in a normal dorm, but why was she so uneasy.

**0 0 0**

Down in the lounge, Mitsuru is still sitting in the same spot when suddenly two young men walk down the stairs.

"We're going out for a bit," the older, grey-haired boy said.

"Hm?" Mitsuru replied.

"Have you seen the news paper lately?" While the grey-haired boy spoke, the younger one, with blue hair, remained silent.

". . . I know," Mitsuru replied, "People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases or Apathy Syndrome. I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but . . ."

"Yeah, right. It has to be THEM," the older guy said, "Otherwise it's not worth our time."

"You have a one track mind," Mitsuru teased, "Will you two be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry. We're just getting a little practice," he replied.

With that, the two boys turned around and walked out the door. Mitsuru just sat there and sighed.

"This isn't a game, Akihiko," she said.

**0 0 0**

When Hamuko arrived at school, she overheard two students talking at the front gate.

"Did you hear the rumor?" one student asked.

"Oh, um… something about a bathroom?" the other replied.

"N-No!" the first one shouted, "Not that one! I mean the story about the first-year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, 'it's coming… it's coming…!'

"Huh. How bout that," the other says, calmly.

"You don't believe me?"

Before the other girl could reply the bell rang.

'_Creepy'_ Hamuko thought to herself.

**0 0 0**

Hamuko sat in her afternoon class. Ms. Toriumi was standing behind the podium teaching the class about literature. Hamuko looked to her right and saw that paying attention was the last thing on Junpei's mind.

"Open your textbooks and we'll take a look at the first novel by… Zenzou Kasai," Ms. Toriumi said the author's name with disappointment, "Ugh…why him? I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He became famous as a singer, but he's also produced fine literature. I wonder why it's not in the textbook. Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book text time. . . .Hey, Junpei! Were you listening? Who did I say was my favorite author?"

Junpei lifted his head.

"Huh? U-Um, Shit!" he whisper, "Psst! Who does she like?" Junpei motioned at Hamuko.

"Utsubo Kubota," Hamuko whispered.

Junpei repeated what Hamuko told him. Ms. Toriumi seemed shocked.

"That's right! So you were listening to me after all!" Ms. Toriumi said.

"Well, you know how I like to pay attention!" Junpei cheered, "Man, you saved my bacon, Hamuko."

Hamuko smiled and rolled her eyes.

**0 0 0**

Hamuko arrived at the dorm and walked in. In the lounge she saw Yukari sitting with an unfamiliar man.

"Oh, she's back," Yukari said.

"So, this is our new guest," the man said.

Hamuko went and sat next to Yukari on the couch.

"Good evening," the man said, "My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school."

_Ikutsuki?_

"'Ikutsuki'"….Hard to say, isn't it?" he said. "That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes. I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations."

"Yeah, the pamphlet I received had this dorm listed in it, but I was told that I wouldn't be staying here," Hamuko said.

"Yes, but I'm afraid it may take longer before you receive the proper room assignment," Ikutsuki continued. "Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Who else lives here?" Hamuko asked.

"There are only five students in this dorm: You, Yukari here, Mitsuru, a junior named Minato Arisato, and a senior named Akihiko Senada" Ikutsuki explained.

'_Arisato? What a coincidence!'_

"I hope you all get along," Ikutsuki said, "Do you have another question?"

Hamuko shook her head.

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year," Ikutsuki continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me…" Ikutsuki stood to leave. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early."

'_What the hell?'_

"As they say, 'They early bird catches the bookworm'!" Ikutsuki laughed at his own joke, "Please excuse the bad pun."

Ikutsuki laughed again and then walked out of the room. Yukari rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You'll get use to his lame jokes," she said.

'_I doubt it!'_

**0 0 0**

Hamuko entered her room, hair wet from the shower. She looked at her phone and saw that she had a text. It was from Junpei.

'**Hey what's up?'**

Hamuko had completely forgotten that they had exchanged numbers the other day and Wuck's. 'Just incase you need something,' Junpei had said. Yeah right!

'**Just got out of the shower'** Hamuko replied. It took Junpei just a few seconds to reply.

'**Oooooh NICE!'** he said.

'**Shut up! Can I call?'**

'**Sure!'**

Hamuko closed out of the messaged and dialed Junpei's number. It rang once before Junpei answered it.

"Hey, Hamu-tan! What's up?" Junpei said cheerfully. Hamuko rolled her eyes at his new nickname for her.

"Nothing. I'm just bored and I can't sleep," she replied.

"So, tell me, what's it like living in the Iwatodai dorm?" Junpei asked.

Hamuko sighed.

"It has it's ups and downs," Hamuko said, "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you know anything about the people who live in this dorm?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied, "I just know about Yuka-tan and her short temper and I'm kinda friends with Minato. Kirijo-senpai lives there too doesn't she?"

"Yeah, and someone named Akihiko," Hamuko said.

"The boxer?" Junpei asked.

"I guess. I haven't met him yet. I haven't met Minato either," she said.

"You live there and you don't know half the people?" Junpei laughed.

"I've only been here for a few days," Hamuko argued, "Plus, those two are never around when I'm here."

"That's strange," Junpei said.

"A lot of things seem strange here," Hamuko said.

"Oh really?" Junpei asked.

"I have another question. Do you know anything about the Chairman of the Board at our school?" Hamuko asked.

"Kind of. His name's ….Ik- Ik-something," Junpei said.

"Ikutsuki," Hamuko corrected.

"Yeah, that's it," Junpei said, "I've never met him, so I don't know much about him."

"I see.."

Suddenly Hamuko heard a loud noise coming from Junpei's end of the line. It sounded like a door being forced open.

"What the hell?" she heard Junpei shout.

She heard another voice. It was an older man. She couldn't understand what he was saying. Suddenly she heard glass shatter.

"Junpei?" Hamuko said quietly.

"Son of a bitch!" Junpei shouted, "Get the hell out of here!"

"Junpei?" Hamuko repeated a little louder.

"Hamuko, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Junpei said.

"Is everything okay?" Hamuko asked.

"Everything's fine. See ya later," Junpei hung up the phone.

Hamuko put her phone on her desk. That did not sound 'fine'

**0 0 0**

Later, at a certain room in the dormitory….

"Working hard?" Ikutsuki asked as he walked in the room, "So, how's she doing?"

"She went to bed a little while ago. She's asleep now," Mitsuru said.

Mitsuru sat alone at a big control panel. Yukari sat in a chair behind her. Hamuko's room was shown on the monitor.

"Mr. Chairman do you think she's…?" Mitsuru asked.

"Well, let's wait and see for now. The dark hour is approaching," Ikutsuki replied.

Suddenly all the lights went off. The moon created a green glow all throughout the room. The monitor still showed Hamuko sleeping in her bed.

"Hmm…she's still sleeping," Ikutsuki said, "An ordinary person would have transmogrified."

"Then she must be…" Yukari began.

"As you can see, she's retained her human form," he explained, "She's asleep, but she's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not she has the potential. Although she must, if she didn't they would have preyed on her by now."

"Scary…" Yukari said.

"In any case, we should continue to monitor her for a few more days," Ikutsuki said.

"Yes, sir," Mitsuru agreed.

"I feel kinda bad, though, spying on her like this…" Yukari said.

**0 0 0**

"W-Where am I?" Hamuko asked.

A few moments ago she had been in her room trying to fall asleep. Now, she was….where exactly?

She was sitting in a chair. Across from her sat a short old man.

With a….very big….nose!

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

**0 0 0**

**Chapter 4 is going through the editing process right now! It will be uploaded soon, I promise.**


	4. Awakening

**After all of this time, chapter 4 is finally up! YAY! Enjoy!**

**0 0 0**

'_The Velvet Room?'_

Hamuko stared at the creepy old man sitting across from her. He was wearing a suit with gloves. His skin was so pale, it was obvious that he hadn't seen the sunlight in a long time.

"My name is Igor," said the creepy man. "…I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place."

'_The contract? The one the little boy made me sign?'_

Suddenly, the contract from before was laying in front of Igor.

"Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room," Igor continued. "You are destined to home your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return . . . That you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make.

"I understand," Hamuko said.

"Hold on to this" Igor handed Hamuko a key. "There is still one more resident of this room, who unfortunately could not be present for your arrival. But I'll make sure you two are properly introduced. Another time, perhaps."

Hamuko's vision started to fade.

"'Til we meet again," Igor said before vanishing completely.

**0 0 0**

Hamuko opened her eyes and realized that she was back in her room.

'_Was that…a dream?'_

Hamuko's question was answered when she looked over on her desk and saw the key that Igor gave her.

**0 0 0**

As Hamuko arrived at school she was greeted by Junpei. They talked about sleeping in class all the way to homeroom. During classic literature, Hamuko looked over and noticed that Junpei was, in fact, asleep in class. The lecture was so boring that Hamuko almost wanted to join him, but she sucked it up and stayed awake. She even learned a few new things about Japanese literature.

**0 0 0**

Hamuko was walking past the shoe boxes when Yukari called her over.

"Hey, Hamuko! Do you want to walk home together?"

"Sure! Sounds fun" Hamuko agreed.

On the way back to the dorm, Yukari gave Hamuko a short tour of Paulownia Mall. The sun had already gone down by the time they got back to the dorm.

Mitsuru was standing in front of a window admiring the outside.

"Welcome back," she called. "The moon is beautiful tonight. It might be nice to read a book by the moonlight once in a while."

Hamuko agreed then sat down with Yukari to watch tv before deciding to return to her room.

**0 0 0**

Meanwhile, at a certain room in the dormitory…

"How is she?" Ikutsuki asked.

"…The same as last night," Mitsuru replied.

"Hmm… Very interesting," Ikutsuki said. "Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. Memory loss. Disorientation. But, this subject is rather unique. She hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms."

"But…we're treating her like a guinea big," Yukari protested.

"I understand your concerns, but it's imperative that we recruit new members," Ikutsuki explained. "I heard she's in your class…wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade? A female classmate, at that."

"Yeah, I guess. But, still…" Yukari was reluctant.

Suddenly the emergency light lit up on the screen. An emergency call was coming in.

"Command room," Mitsuru said as she answered the call. "Akihiko and Minato?"

"You're not gonna believe this…! This this is huge!" Akihiko yelled over the communicator. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to talk…it's chasing us. I wanted to let you guys know, we're almost there."

"Does that mean…they're bringing that thing here!" Yukari asked.

"Mr. Chairman!" Mitsuru shouted. "Let's suspend our observations for now. We'll prepare for battle."

"R-right! Be careful!" Ikutsuki replied.

**0 0 0**

Back in the lounge, Minato walked in supporting a wounded Akihiko. Akihiko let out a wounded grunt as he sat on the floor.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru rushed to his side.

"I'm alright," Akihiko reassured Mitsuru. "Get ready to be surprised…it'll be here any second."

"This is no time to joke around!" Mitsuru said.

"It's one of them?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Yes, but it's no ordinary one," Minato said.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and dormitory shook.

"What the…!…you gotta be kidding me!" Yukari shouted.

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!" Mitsuru commanded. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake her up! Then, escape out the back."

"But, what about you three?" Yukari asked.

"We'll stop it here," Mitsuru said. "You two led it to us, so I'm afraid you both are going to have to fight."

Minato sighed.

"Like we had a choice," Akihiko complained.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned around to see Hamuko standing on top of the stairs looking at them.

Minato's eyes grew wide as he stared at the girl. He knew her. Something about her face seemed familiar. He brushed off the thought as he helped Akihiko up.

"What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!" Akihiko shouted.

"I-I'm going," Yukari said.

Yukari ran up the stairs and grabbed Hamuko by the wrist.

"There's no time to explain!" Yukari shouted. "We have to get out of here, now!"

Yukari led Hamuko up the stairs. Before they reached the rooftop, Yukari went into what looked like a closet and took out a long, thin implement. It seemed like a naginata.

'_Great! They carry guns and other types of weapons here!'_

"Here, take this just in case," Yukari handed over the naginata to Hamuko.

'_These people are crazy!'_

"Okay, let's go!" Yukari said.

They made it onto the rooftop safely. Yukari closed and locked the door before letting out a sigh of relief.

"The door's locked. I think we're safe for now…" Yukari said.

"What's going on?" Hamuko asked.

Before Yukari could explain, the dormitory shook again. Hamuko could see some type of creature crawling up the wall. It was black and oozy with a blue face. It looked like an oil spill wearing a mask. It had several arms that each help a sharp sword.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Yukari shouted. "It climbed up the wall!"

Yukari turned to Hamuko.

"That's the thing that attacked this place…we call them Shadows!" Yukari turned back to the shadow. "O-oh yeah…I have to fight. I…I can summon mine. . . No problem."

Yukari removed the gun from it's holster. Instead of pointing it at the enemy like Hamuko expected, she pointed it to her head.

Hamuko gasped.

Yukari took a few deep breaths to steady herself, but before she could pull the trigger she was knocked over by the shadow. The gun that Yukari was holding landed right at Hamuko's feet. Hamuko bent down and picked it up. Something about it's looks was different from normal guns. Suddenly she heard a voice…

"Go on. Do it," the voice sounded familiar. Kind of like the little boy she met earlier.

Before Hamuko knew it, she was holding the gun again her temple.

"Persona," Hamuko whispered before she pulled the trigger.

A surge of energy coursed through her body and suddenly a figure appeared in front of her. The figure was female, and she was dressed mostly in red. Her skin was dark and her hair was long and white.

Kikuri-Hime.

That was strange. Hamuko had never seen this creature before. How did she know what it was called?

"Thou art I, and I am thou" Hamuko heard a voice say.

Was it the voice of Kikuri-Hime?

Suddenly, Hamuko grasped her head in pain and Kikuri-Hime was replaced with another creature. This creature was more menacing. The creature didn't waste much time destroying the shadow. Before Hamuko knew it, the shadow was defeated. Only small pieces were left behind. Hamuko looked up and saw that the menacing creature was gone and Kikuri-Hime was back.

"Is it over?" Yukari asked.

"I think so…" Hamuko said.

Suddenly, her vision went black and she suddenly felt the cold ground press again her body.

"Are you okay?" she could faintly hear Yukari shout. "Answer me!"

**0 0 0**

Suddenly, Hamuko found herself in the velvet room again.

"It's so nice to see you again," Igor greeted her. "You became unconscious after awakening to your "power". I see it was Kikuri-Hime that heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. Please remember that. Now, then…time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Farewell."

Hamuko's slowly lost consciousness.

**0 0 0**

**Once again I am sorry for the long wait! **


End file.
